WASHINGTON — “Explosive” is how Consumer Reports describes the growth in sales of electric lawn mowers that now account for about 15 percent of all push mower sales.
“Think we’re past the point where only early adapters should give these things a serious look,” said Paul Hope, Consumer Reports’ senior home and garden editor. “We now have a handful of models that cut grass as well as or, in some cases, even better than some gas-powered models.”
One battery charge will mow about a third of an acre. Recharging batteries takes about an hour.
Some people choose electric mowers because they’re environmentally conscious and want to reduce their carbon footprint. But, Hope said, benefits extend beyond the obvious.
Less noise pollution
“A lot of these are quiet enough that if you want to wake up at 6 a.m. and cut your grass and you’re worried about waking your neighbors, you can probably do that and stay on good terms with them,” Hope said with a chuckle.
They’re not whisper-quiet like an electric car since Hope said you can hear the whirling of the blades cutting the grass, but they’re certainly quieter than gas-powered mowers.
How much they cost
All five of Consumer Reports’ top-rated electric mowers are in the $400 to $500 range.
The EGO LM2101 push mower is one of Consumer Reports’ top-rated models. It sells for about $450 and is also considered a Consumer Reports “Best Buy” for the price. In the $400 range, the Black+Decker CM2060C push mower is also highly rated.
Generally, electric mowers cost about twice the price of gas models. Doing the math, Consumer Reports believes it takes about 10 years to break even on the added expense through savings on gas, oil, maintenance and spark plugs.
Other potential cost savings
Many companies have outdoor tools that use interchangeable batteries. They include electric mowers, string trimmers, hedge trimmers, and even snowblowers and chain saws.
Hope said that consumers “can actually save money by buying some of the tools like, say a leaf blower with no battery or charger.”
“You’ll save about one third what you’d pay for that same electric leaf blower with the battery and charger,” he added.
Check the warranty
Electric lawn mower batteries are said to be good for a thousand cycles of drains and charges, and Hope said for most homeowners, that means well over a decade worth of use.
“But, there’s no guarantees. So, we always advise people who are worried about the legerity of an electric-powered lawn mower to really look closely at the warranty,” Hope said. “And particularly what portion of the warranty applies to the battery because that’s a big expense, and that’s the part that’s going to go first on an electric mower.”
